Editing Thomas Taylor (section)

== Paintball career ==

=== Early career (1996–2003) ===

According to his personal website, Taylor began playing paintball in 1996 and entered local tournament competition in 1998.

In 2001, he was involved with G.O.G. Kids, a youth tournament team competing in western United States regional events.[1]

Taylor played for Cartel in the novice 10-man division at the 2002 NPPL World Cup in Kissimmee, Florida.

Cartel won the division, securing Taylor's first World Cup championship.[1][6]

In 2003, Taylor joined the Los Angeles Ironmen, entering professional competition during the inaugural season of the [[National Xball League]] (NXL).[1]

=== Sacramento XSV (2004–2013) ===

In 2004, Taylor became a founding member of [[Sacramento XSV]], also known as Excessive.

The team was established by former Los Angeles Ironmen players and other experienced professionals following changes to the American tournament structure.

Taylor competed alongside players including [[Rich Telford]], [[Nicky Cuba]], [[Jon Richardson]], [[Micah McGlocklin]] and [[Matty Marshall]].

XSV developed into one of the principal competitors to [[San Diego Dynasty]] in the [[NPPL Super 7]] series.

The team secured its first NPPL professional tournament victory at the 2005 Denver Open, defeating Dynasty in the final.[1]

Taylor was also prominently featured in ''[[Heroes for a Day: The XSV Story]]'', a documentary following the team's early development and professional tournament competition.

=== XSV championship campaigns ===

In 2006, Taylor participated in XSV's victories at the NPPL Huntington Beach Open and Tampa Open.

At Huntington Beach, XSV became the first team other than Dynasty to win the event's professional division since the introduction of the Super 7 format in 2003.[7]

The team followed that result with another victory over Dynasty in the Tampa final.

Despite leading the championship standings during parts of the season, XSV finished second overall behind Dynasty.[8]

Taylor continued competing for XSV during subsequent seasons.

At the 2012 NPPL Surf City USA Open, XSV defeated Tampa Bay Damage 3–0 to win the professional championship.[9]

The team subsequently won the 2012 NPPL professional series championship, finishing ahead of Tampa Bay Damage and Edmonton Impact.[10]

Taylor remained with XSV through the 2013 season.

On 18 December 2013, ''Social Paintball'' reported that Taylor and XSV had parted ways after approximately a decade together.

Team owner and captain Rich Telford publicly acknowledged Taylor's contributions to the organisation.[11]

=== Houston Heat (2014–2015) ===

On 21 December 2013, [[Houston Heat]] announced that Taylor would join the team for the 2014 professional season.

The announcement identified Taylor's previous experience with XSV and the Canadian Xtreme Paintball League as important elements of his recruitment.[12]

Taylor competed with Heat in the [[Paintball Sports Promotions]] (PSP) professional division.

He also participated in the team's European campaigns during 2015.

According to Taylor's career chronology, Houston Heat won European tournaments and the European season championship during this period.[1]

=== Infamous (2016–2023) ===

Taylor joined [[Infamous (paintball team)|Infamous]] for the 2016 season, competing in the professional division of the reorganised National Xball League.

Infamous won the 2016 NXL Texas Open and finished second in the professional season standings.[1]

Taylor remained a regular member of Infamous throughout the following seasons.

Contemporary reporting identified him as an important attacking player, particularly in the snake position, where his play involved advancing rapidly through the field and creating opportunities for teammates.[2]

During the 2022 NXL Windy City Major, ''Iconic Paintball'' identified Taylor as Infamous's player of the event, citing his versatility and attacking contributions.[13]

Official PBLeagues tournament records confirm his continued participation with Los Angeles Infamous throughout the 2023 professional season.[4]

=== New York Xtreme (2024) ===

For the 2024 NXL season, Taylor departed Infamous and joined New York Xtreme.

The transfer followed approximately eight seasons with Infamous.[14]

Official PBLeagues records document Taylor competing for New York Xtreme at five NXL professional tournaments during 2024, including the Las Vegas Major, Lone Star Major, Mid-Atlantic Major, Windy City Major and World Cup.[4]

=== European competition (2025) ===

In 2025, Taylor competed for German professional team Offenburg Comin at Ya in the NXL Europe circuit.

Official tournament records document his participation at the Portugal Invitational, British Invitational and European Championships.[4]

Taylor also represented the United States in the veterans division of the 2025 international paintball championship programme.

The official Team USA roster identifies him among the veterans squad that received a bronze medal.[15]